Historic Railroad Building Is Nearer To Restoration

April 24, 1985|By Bob Kowalski and Fred Lowery, Staff Writers

BOCA RATON — The historic Florida East Coast Railway depot moved a step closer to restoration Tuesday as both the city and the Palm Beach County Commission took action to accommodate purchasing the 56-year-old building.

The City Council authorized the downtown Community Redevelopment Agency to borrow $500,000 to purchase the land under the building and acquire leases to that property now held by a Fort Lauderdale businessman.

Earlier in the day, the County Commission approved spending $925,000 to acquire part of the depot land for the widening of an adjacent stretch of Dixie Highway.

Both the city and the county approvals were needed for the city to actually purchase the property by next Monday, the deadline set by the FEC.

The County Commission approved purchasing right of way south of Palmetto Park Road without the property appraisals normally required in order to meet that deadline.

``Everything right now is go,`` City Manager James Rutherford told the council members in Tuesday`s meeting in City Hall. ``This has been a long, lengthy process in reaching where we are now.``

The depot, located on Dixie Highway between Sixth Street and Camino Real, was originally completed in 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The FEC has agreed to donate the actual depot building to the city, and sell the 2.3 acres of surrounding land for $400,000.

Under the arrangement the council approved Tuesday, the Community Redevelopment Agency would pay for the land beneath the depot and $100,000 to secure the leases held on the land by Fort Lauderdale businessman Sam Hougasian.

The Boca Raton Historical Society, which would be the eventual owner of the depot and its property, has agreed to raise enough money to reimburse the redevelopment agency.

Historical Society member Clement Winke has said the group hopes to convert the station into a public facility such as a museum.

``I think this will be a great thing for the children,`` City Council member Al Edmunds said Tuesday. ``We`ll all get a kick out of that when it`s completely restored.``

When the city closes on the purchase Monday, it will put to end the months of negotiations by various groups that had wanted to own the now-vacant depot.

Hougasian had secured a lease to the depot property earlier this year and said he planned to restore the building as a restaurant.

Later, members of the Junior League said they wanted to restore the building as offices for their organization.

Winke estimated the Historical Society will have to raise another $500,000 to actually restore the building once the purchase is made.